The commercial activity at Mid Delta Regional Airport in Greenville is
up 23 percent over last year. Airport Director Cliff Nash attributed a
large part of the increase in activity to the excellent service provided
by Northwest Airlink.
"Northwest Airlink provides reliable flight service as well as an emphasis on customer service," he said. With a 99.5 percent flight completion rate, including weather-related cancellations, and a 96 percent arrival time within 15 minutes of schedule, Northwest Airlink has brought reliable flight transportation to the Delta at a convenient location.
Nash also attributes the increase in activity to the larger number of people from surrounding counties making use of the airport's services. He cited an increase of 67 percent in passengers from Sunflower County and 34 percent from Bolivar County making use of the airport.
Local community entities, such as the media and the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, have come together on behalf of the airport to educate the people of the Delta region regarding the positive aspects of flying out of Greenville. Travel agents in the area were given incentives for booking flights through the Greenville airport, thus working to decrease the rate of travelers who chose to fly out of larger, less convenient airports. "Seventy-five percent of people who participate in airline travel from this area do so out of airports other than the Mid Delta Regional Airport and we are trying to educate them regarding the benefits of using the Mid Delta Regional Airport," Nash explained. Planning flights out of Greenville not only benefits the airport personnel but it benefits the overall economy of the Delta as well. According to a recent study conducted by Wilbur Smith and Associates for the Mississippi Department of Transportation, the direct economic impact measured for all business and government activities stemming from the Mid Delta Regional Airport is $8,593,600. The indirect impacts that can be quantified from area visitors arriving via general aviation aircraft is $2,266,500 and the multiple impacts generated by the on-airport and related-businesses and their employees as they buy goods and services in the area is $5,423,600. These figures bring the total economic impact of the Mid Delta Regional Airport to $16,283,700. This figures does not account for the increased number of businesses and industries that may choose to settle in the Delta region due to the availability of an accessible airport.
"Air services ranks in the top ten things that potential businesses and industries look for when choosing an area in which to locate. A comprehensive transportation network is very important to economic development. If you have a commercial airport, or one that has at least three flights arriving a day, within a two-hour radius of a location then that location is considered to be airport accessible. The Mid Delta Regional Airport is the only commercial airport in the Delta," Nash explained. The airport also serves as an excellent location for airport-related and non-airport-related business and industry. Three new industries have already come to the airport providing new jobs and economic growth to the Delta. Also important are the activities supported by the airport such as aerial photography, agricultural spraying, just-in-time shipping, and executive transportation. It is the goal of Nash and other community leaders to help Delta residents realize the importance of making use of the Delta's only commercial airport as it provides reliable, convenient airline travel and supports local growth.